Review of The Big Country (1958) by Rocknblues 8 — 05 Oct 2009

Man does this movie cover a lot of ground! The basic story is that James McKay is an easterner that goes to west to marry the daughter of a rich rancher. Naturally the western folks have their doubts about the greenhorn. Standing in the way of their marriage is Steve Leech (Charlton Heston) who seeks to expose the green James McKay by trying force him into fights and other such things.

Pat Terrill (Carrol Baker)is eager to see McKay prove his worth to the people of the west that she encourages him to accept showdowns. When he doesn't, it starts a conflict that forces McKay to reach out to a local woman named Julie Maragon (Jean Simmons)who is more inline with McKay's laid back demeanor. But this love triangle is only part of the film as a battle over water rights between Terrill's father and another rancher is in full effect and is on the brink of boiling over into a blood bath. The love triangle gets pulled into the feud when JUlie and McKay both try to make piece with the two sides.

Director William Wyler would go on to reunite with Charlton Heston one year later in the epic Ben-Hur. But The Big Country is a fine epic western that is well acted by everyone and is well worth the near the 3 hour length. Oh, and look for Chuck Conners as the evil son of one of the ranchers. He threatens to steal the show from the main leads.